Minister Highlights Significance of Wetlands

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, has highlighted the significance of wetlands in contributing to the economic development of the country.

“Wetlands are not peripheral environmental issues. They are central to economic resilience, to food security, to climate adaptation, and increasingly they are central to national security,” the Minister said.

He was speaking at a Regional High Level Closing Event of the project, ‘Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands for Climate Change Mitigation and Conservation of Their Ecosystem Service’, at Princess Grand Resort in Hanover, on July 7.

“Wetlands reduce storm surge, wetlands reduce flooding, they filter water naturally, they sustain fisheries, they provide habitat for biodiversity, and they store extraordinary amounts of carbon, making them among the world’s most effective natural climate solutions,” the Minister said.

Citing Jamaica’s experience with Hurricane Melissa last October, Mr. Samuda added that wetlands “save lives” and “protect communities, livelihoods, and infrastructure, and increasingly they protect our national economy”.

The Minister traced Jamaica’s evolving conservation strategy, noting that having designation sites is only a step, not a solution.

“Effective conservation requires science, monitoring, legislation, and partnerships, and most importantly, it requires political will. This regional project has strengthened precisely those foundations,” he said, pointing to methodologies for assessing ecosystem services and climate vulnerability, improved monitoring, and prioritised investments that bolster regional cooperation and climate policy.

Mr. Samuda highlighted tangible policy gains aligned with Jamaica’s broader national agenda. “We are advancing our national ecosystems restoration plan,” he said, listing steps such as designation of ecologically sensitive areas, strengthened protected area governance, and the integration of blue carbon science into international planning.

He stressed that mangrove restoration must be scaled. “We continue to expand restoration efforts across mangrove systems through initiatives involving government, academia, civil society and, indeed, the private sector. These are not isolated projects. One such example is the North Coast Mangrove Project,” he noted.

Financing, he said, remains a primary obstacle, and he welcomed the help desk mentioned by the Secretary-General, Convention on Wetlands, Dr. Musonda Mumba, as a resource for member states facing funding and capacity constraints.

Legislative pace also poses challenges. “The legislative agenda is not a single-issue agenda, and we as Ministers… have to compete for time within our Attorney General’s office and legal reform departments,” the Minister said.

Despite obstacles, Mr. Samuda urged a collaborative approach. “No Caribbean country possesses unlimited technical capacity. No island can independently solve every conservation challenge but together we create something much stronger,” he said.